The United States and Iran exchanged another round of strikes on Wednesday, the fourth consecutive night of fighting since the ceasefire framework agreed last month effectively collapsed.
U.S. forces struck Iranian military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and along Iran’s southern coast as Washington expanded maritime operations aimed at restricting Iranian shipping, according to Reuters. President Donald Trump said the campaign would continue “until I say it’s enough.”
The legal basis for the renewed operation rests on a notification Trump sent Congress on July 10, informing lawmakers that hostilities had resumed on July 7, according to Roll Call. Under the War Powers Resolution, the notification begins a new 60-day period during which U.S. forces can continue military operations without a formal declaration of war unless Congress acts sooner. The administration had previously argued that the earlier 60-day period triggered by February’s strikes ended when hostilities ceased under the June ceasefire framework.
Military pressure around the Strait of Hormuz is now coming from both sides. U.S. naval operations are targeting vessels linked to Iranian trade, while Iran has repeatedly sought to disrupt commercial navigation through missile and drone attacks, naval mines, and GPS interference that has complicated civilian shipping in the Gulf, according to reporting by CNN and France 24. Together, those actions have increased risks along one of the world’s busiest energy corridors.
Trump further warned that the United States could strike additional Iranian infrastructure if Tehran refused to return to negotiations, according to The Hill. Retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told CNN that infrastructure directly supporting military operations could constitute a lawful military objective under the law of armed conflict, while cautioning against expanding attacks to facilities serving predominantly civilian purposes.
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting U.S.-linked military sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Jordan said it intercepted incoming missiles, while Kuwait’s Defense Ministry reported that four service members were wounded in a strike on a naval vessel. Iranian state media also claimed successful attacks elsewhere, although those claims have not been independently verified.
Four months after the war reignited, the conflict has settled into a pattern of sustained reciprocal strikes. The renewed War Powers notification and intensifying military pressure around the Strait of Hormuz suggest that both sides are preparing for a prolonged confrontation rather than a return to negotiations.
